Student finds valuable book in library

A book co-written by Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok was found having both authors’ signatures in Carrier Library this past November.

The book, “Ladies of Courage”, was published in 1954 and was added to Carrier Library’s general circulation when the library was known as Madison College Library, said Dean of Libraries Ralph Alberico. “Ladies of Courage” could be worth between $250 and $5,000.

Political science professor Anthony Eksterowicz, who taught a senior seminar on first ladies, reported the book had been found by senior Leighann Whitley, one of his students in the seminar.

Whitley was researching potential links between medical technology and first ladies. “I was looking for notes or any writing in the book that would help me, when I noticed the signatures,” Whitley said.

The book itself talks about many instances in which women have been involved in politics up to 1954. Hickok was Roosevelt’s personal secretary, served as an informal adviser to Roosevelt and also lived in the White House.

“[Roosevelt and Hickok] shared a desire to put women up front,” Ecksterowicz said.

While Eksterowicz has never seen an event quite like this, Alberico said that the larger a library is, the more likely surprise discoveries are. In fact, the Carrier Library’s copy of the Bosworth-Toller “Anglo-Saxon Dictionary” is filled with hand-written notes by Bosworth, one of the authors. These annotations are believed to be notes that helped the two publish a later edition of the dictionary.

Overall, the finding of a signed copy of “Ladies of Courage” has brought excitement to many faculty and students. “It’s kind of like a hidden treasure,” Alberico said.

Eksterowicz added, “How many more treasures do we have in our library that we don’t know about?”

The book itself will be taken out of general circulation and a less valuable copy will be bought to replace it. The signed copy will be put in the library’s special collections.